1
| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 17| 18| 19| 20| 21| 22| 23| 24| 25| 26| 27| 28| 29| 30Our hearts are not the only organ that decides what we are going to do. Our minds work with the heart. We may with our hearts want something very strongly, but because our mind sees that what we crave may kill us, we do what our mind says, and not what our heart wants. That is also why Paul, having told us to put on the breastplate of faith and love, tells us also to put on the helmet of the hope of salvation. This truth is based on what we find in Hebrews 6:19 , where we read, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the souls, both sure and steadfast."
Is it not unique that in I Corinthians 13:13 Paul speaks of faith, hope, and love? The word translated as "charity" actually is the strongest word for "love" in Scripture. In I Thessalonians 5:8 Paul spoke of faith and love being our breastplate, and hope being our helmet in the battle of faith. These are three very, very important things in our lives.
What we believe, what we love, and what our hope is has tremendous importance.
Hope is not merely wishing. Its basic meaning is expecting what we desire to have. When then in Hebrews 6:19 it is called the anchor of our souls, we can see why it makes us steadfast when Satan through men comes to keep us from being sober, and to make us spiritually silly and foolish. In all our temptations we must have upon us the helmet of hope. Otherwise we are going to be spiritually shipwrecked. We are going to be swept into hell! Only the expectation of what Christ earned for us, and God promises us, will keep us living wisely and safely.
By God's grace then seek the strengthening of your hope, so that in every temptation you may say, as Jesus did, "Get thee behind me, Satan!" Do not let him deceive you and make you long for that which sweeps man into hell. By reading and by study of God's Word, seek the strengthening of your hope. In that way keep on your head the helmet of hope, and stand firmly in safety.
Read: Hebrews 6 .
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 42
;
Ezekiel 43:1-27
James 5:1-20
Psalm 119:1-16
Proverbs 28:6-7
****
Quote for Reflection:
"The vast majority of our fellows live as though there were no eternity to come, no judgment day when they must appear before God, give an account of the deeds they have don in the body, and be sentenced according to their works. They know full well how brief and uncertain this life is: at short intervals their companions are cut down by the hand of death, but no lasting serious impressions are made upon them. Instead, they continue in their pleasure-loving whirl, impervious to the divine threatenings, deaf to the voice of conscience, disregarding any entreaties or admonitions which they may receive from Christian friends or the servants of God. --A.W. Pink, The Life of David, (pg. 220)
There are times when one is very sad; and there are moments of great joy. There are times when we are glad that we got something we wanted; and there are times when we have lost what we had. But an important question is whether we are thankful to our God no matter what it is that He sends us, or takes from us. A truth we ought to consider is found in Psalm 140: 13 . There David says, "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence."
The question then is whether we shall give thanks to God no matter what He sends us. For the text states that the righteous give thanks, and that means that they do the right thing. Righteous people do what is right in God's sight. And the righteous, according to Romans 8:28 , know that "all things work together for good to them that love God." All things, not merely some things. Loss as well as gain; health but also sickness; death as well as life work together for our good. We give thanks, do we not, for what we consider to be good? We have then the astounding truth that our calling is always to give thanks to God for all that which He does, whether it hurts our flesh or brings it pleasure.
Look also at I Corinthians 15:57 . There Paul states, "Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Through Christ comes our salvation. And because He is Lord of all at God's right hand, all that which He sends us and which He causes to happen to us and around us is for our good.
Let us therefore examine our souls and lives. Are we a thankful people? Do we really believe that all things work together for our good? Is this or that physical loss a gain for us? Do we always believe that all things work together for good to those that love God? Note what David wrote: The upright shall dwell in God's presence. Are you in God's presence when He sends things that hurt the flesh? Be sure that He works all things together for good for each child of God.
Read: Psalm 140 .
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 44
;
Ezekiel 45:1-12
1 Peter 1:1-12
Psalm 119:17-32
Proverbs 28:8-10
****
Quote for Reflection:
… there are various burdens which delay and impede our spiritual course, such as the love of this present life, the pleasures of the world, the lusts of the flesh, worldly cares, riches also and honors, and other things of this kind. Whosoever, then, would run in the course prescribed by Christ, must first disentangle himself from all these impediments, for we are already of ourselves more tardy than we ought to be, so no other causes of delay should be added. - John Calvin
In Ephesians 5:8 we read, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light." To understand this we should take note of what is written in I John 1:5 . There we are told that "God is light, and in him is no darkness." This means that God is holy. And that we came into this world as darkness means that we came in as unholy, and thus as sinners. For we all fell with Adam. Now we are called to walk a holy, sinless life. We are called to do only that which pleases God, only that of which He approves.
That we now are light in the Lord means that Christ has made us holy, that is, those who hate sin and love what pleases God. Through the cross of Christ we became righteous, that is, not guilty; but by His Spirit we become holy. We are therefore people who love God and who can, by the new life which God gives us, do what is pleasing in His sight.
Now to walk as children of light we must walk as Christ walked. He never committed one sin. Never had He had a sinful thought or desire; and never did He break the smallest part of any of God's commandments. Since He is the Son of God, He is light; and surely He is a perfect example for us to follow.
It is true that Satan tried to get Him to sin; but Jesus told him to get behind Him and quit his tempting. Satan comes every day trying to get us to be unholy; and we need to pay attention to this call to walk as children of light. Those who walk as Christ did are Christians. They reveal it in what they do. Stand therefore before the mirror of God's Word to see every step of your earthly life; and then you may know whether you are a Christian, one with the life of Christ in you.
Are God and Christ manifest in your life? Do men see you as a child of light? If you walk in the light, you will live with Christ in glory.
Read: I John 1:1 I John 2:1-6 .
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 45:13-25
;
Ezekiel 46:1-24
1 Peter 1:13-25
;
1 Peter 2:1-10
Psalm 119:33-48
Proverbs 28:11
****
Quote for
Reflection:
… though man proposes it is God who
disposes. Even great men, yea, kings themselves, are often thwarted in their plans, and
discover they are subordinate to the will of Him who is the King of kings. How thankful we
should be that this is so, that the Lord in His infinite wisdom ruleth over all – Arthur W. Pink
What does salvation mean to you? From what do you want to be saved? As a child of God you are going to say that you want to be saved from sin. The question however is, What do you mean by salvation from sin? It is so easy for our flesh to say that we want to be saved from all the aches and pains of life here below, from death and all that everlasting punishment in hell which comes upon all those who hate God. With all the unbelievers we want to be saved from God's wrath and the punishment which it brings.
We are right, if we want all this with a view to something deeper, something which is the heart of our salvation. We must want to be saved from our act of sin, not simply from its punishment. Paul presents this so beautifully in Colossians 1:21 , when he writes, "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled." That is what we need and need first. We need to be reconciled, that is, to be changed spiritually, if we are to have our life changed physically by relief from all the punishment of sin. It means that we want to be saved from our hatred toward God, and to be given a deep, abiding love toward Him. It means that we want to be able to do only that which pleases our God.
Do you find that in your heart and mind? That must be there, or you are not one whose body and soul are saved from all the punishment of God's curse. When God told Satan that He would put enmity in our hearts against him, so that there would be love of God in us, He spoke of the heart of our salvation. It will come not only by Christ's heel being crushed, but by His Spirit implanting hatred against sin in our hearts.
Look deeply then into your soul. Look for love of God in that soul. And if you find a desire to be saved from sin, you can be sure that God will save you from the punishment of sin. Reconciliation is a blessed pearl of our salvation that assures us of glorification.
Read: Colossians 1:1-22 .
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Ezekiel 47
;
Ezekiel 48:1-35
1 Peter 2:11-25
;
1 Peter 3:1-7
Psalm 119:49-64
Proverbs 28:12-13
****
Quote for Reflection:
…
God did not so create the world once that he did
afterward depart from his work; but that it standeth by his power, and that the same God
is the governor thereof who was the Creator. We must well think upon this continual
comforting and strengthening, that we may remember God every minute. – John Calvin
There is a reason why our God tells us in Scripture that His name is Jehovah. For a truth to which we must hold on to tightly is that He is unchangeable. Never may we say that He was or will be different from what He is now. He Himself says in Malachi 3:6 , "I am the Lord, I change not." In fact, the Hebrew word translated here as "Lord" actually is "Jehovah," which means "I Am." Thus here He says, "I am the I Am."
When then we read in II Peter 1:10 that we must "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fail," we take the position that Peter is speaking here of what we have and desire, not what God will do and desires. We can become doubtful about our salvation and calling as well as our election. We must make sure in our hearts that God called us and elected us eternally and unchangeably. We must give diligence for the confirmation of this in our minds.
We must strive to obtain assurance, by a holy walk of life, that we are God's children who will receive everlasting blessedness. For in verses 4-9 he tells us that if we lack faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, we are blind, cannot see afar off, and have forgotten that God purged us of our sins through His Son and His cross. We do not make our calling and election sure in God's mind. It is sure in Him Who is the I Am and changes not.
Very urgent therefore is our calling here to strive to grow in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. For as we do that we become sure in our minds that God called us to be His children, and did so because He eternally elected us to be such. The important question here is whether our walk of life gives us this assurance that God called us and elected us to be His covenant people. Take hold then of this word to give diligence to become stronger in your faith that you are a child of God.
Read: II Peter 1
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Daniel 1
;
Daniel 2:1-23
1 Peter 3:8-22
;
1 Peter 4:1-6
Psalm 119:65-80
Proverbs 28:14
****
Quote for
Reflection:
We should not think of our fellowship
with other Christians as a spiritual luxury, an optional addition to the exercises of
private devotion. We should recognize rather
that such fellowship is a spiritual necessity; for God has made us in such a way that our
fellowship with Himself is fed by our fellowship with fellow-Christians, and requires to be
fed constantly for its own deepening and enrichment.
Ever since Satan succeeded in getting Adam and Eve to fall into sin, through his lie about what God said, we have the calling to be sure that those who "preach the gospel" do indeed bring forth the "good news" of our salvation through Christ and His cross and Spirit. Satan did not after his victory quit bringing false doctrines to man. Instead he has increased his intensity, especially after Christ's birth, cross, resurrection, and ascension to God's right hand. He, the Deceiver, is today working very hard with his lie that we can become gods through sin. The form of his lie changes, but that makes it even more deceitful and dangerous.
Therefore we should hold on to the truth, and to the calling which we find in I John 4:1 . There we read, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." We should heed this warning, because there is such a strong effort put forth by Satan today to promote a wrong harmony and peace in the church world, by compromises rather than by clearer and richer understanding of that which God says in His Word. The tendency today is to get bigger in numbers, rather than richer in the truth. The preaching seeks to please man's flesh rather than to glorify God. The aim is to make men happy about fleshly advantages, rather than about glorification of our God and His Son.
The question we must try to answer is whether the preaching glorifies God and sets Him forth as the holy God that He is. It is God Himself Who through John calls us to try the spirits that preach. If they are of God, they are going to call us to glorify Him, not change His Word for the glory of man's flesh. Be concerned then with God's glory. Defend the truth that all of our salvation is His gift to us, including the desire for that salvation. That is what He declares in His Word. Try, that is, test, the spirits that preach.
Read: I John 4:1-6
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Daniel 2:24-49
;
Daniel 3:1-30
1 Peter 4:7-19
;
1 Peter 5:1-14
Psalm 119:81-96
Proverbs 28:15-16
****
Quote for
Reflection:
"Death is not now the death of me, but death will
be the death of my misery, the death of my sins; it will be the death of my corruptions.
But death wil be my birthday in regard of happiness." R.Sibbes
Sin is in a sense like man in that there was a moment in time when sin was conceived and born, and through the years has grown and will soon present in the world the Man of Sin. We have the warning in Scripture that this man of sin is coming. In II Thessalonians 2:3 Paul wrote, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
What Paul says here is that sin will reach a climax before Christ returns to bring His church to glory. Of this return he spoke in the preceding verses. He calls attention to the Thessalonians, that they were taught the false doctrine that Christ was coming in their lifetime. How correct Paul was, for now, almost 2,000 years later, Christ still has not returned. The Thessalonians had been taught that which was not the truth.
This was not a false doctrine of the world, but one taught in the churches. It was preached by men whom one would be inclined to believe, because they did preach some undeniable truths. This demonstrates why what we considered yesterday is so important. We must try the spirits whether they are of God. We may be sure that the richer the truth is in a church, the more feverishly Satan works to get his false doctrines there. Satan is sly, crafty, and extremely dangerous.
Today, as we rush toward the days of the Anti-Christ, we should be very careful, and alert to the fact that Satan is trying to get us to eat, with our souls, forbidden fruit, doctrines that God commands us not to eat. It is revealing that God moved John to call him, who will be Satan's most powerful and crafty tool, the Antichrist. "Anti" means "against." There are many today who are in the church but against Christ as tools of Satan. It is well for us to be warned, as we approach the day of that Antichrist's coming. Satan deceived Adam and Eve; and he is trying to deceive us today.
Read: II Thessalonians 2 .
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Daniel 4:1-37
2 Peter 1:1-21
Psalm 119:97-112
Proverbs 28:17-18
****
Quote for
Reflection:
"True faith confines its view so entirely to
Christ, that it neither knows, nor desires to know, anything else." John Calvin
Never, no never, should we accept and believe that which denies God His glory, and makes Christ's salvation dependent upon what man does. Let us avoid all teachings which are a modern form of Satan's lie to Adam and Eve, that man can by his works become a god.
Our works do not determine whether we are going to obtain salvation. Our salvation, as God's work, determines whether we are those whom Christ saves. We need to be saved from the lack of interest in salvation. God must and does give to His elect even the desire for salvation. If we desire salvation we have the evidence that God has already begun that work in us, and will finish it when Christ returns. A very important truth which God gave us through Paul is found in Philippians 2: 13 . There we read, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Note that all that God works in us is not due to what we gave Him. HE works in us to will as well as to do. We believe and want salvation; but it is God Who makes us want that salvation. He gives us all of our faith. Notice carefully that Paul says that God works in us, and that we must work out that salvation. God commands us to believe, but He also gives us the desire and power to do so. Note that God through Paul here tells us that He works in us to will as well as to do of His good pleasure. Before we can will and believe, God has already caused us to be born again. He does not wait to see whether spiritually dead people will believe and "accept" salvation.
Be careful then and take a strong hold on the truth that even our desire for salvation is God's gift to us. WE cannot give God anything that He has not already given us. In Him we live and move and have our being, physically but also spiritually.
Read: Philippians 2:1-12 .
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Daniel 5:1-31
2 Peter 2:1-22
Psalm 119:113-128
Proverbs 28:19-20
****
Quote for
Reflection:
"God the Father not only gives
his Son but also pours out his Spirit. The reference is to Pentecost (
Acts 2:17
,
18, 33). Organically speaking, the Spirit was poured out upon the church of the present
and of the future; for, that Spirit having once established his personal residence in the
church, never leaves it again. Hence, Paul can say, ‘whom he poured out upon us.’"
In the Old Testament the church is presented as having a host of enemies. For a long time all the members of the church of God lived in a small section of this earth, namely, the land of Canaan. Today the church is scattered over all the earth in every nation, tongue, and tribe. It pleases our God to gather the members of the body of Christ, His church, from far and wide, from all types of people. Whereas in the old dispensation the church was limited mostly to the Jewish race, now it is gathered from every color, race, and nationality. Even as our bodies have different kinds of members, and need different kinds of members, so the church has different kinds of people from a physical point of view.
Even though the church has only a handful of people, compared with the millions upon millions of those outside that church, we have a very comforting truth concerning us in Deuteronomy 33:28 . There we find Moses stating, as God's mouthpiece, "Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon the land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew."
We do well to take note of the fact that the church shall dwell in safety alone, and that its members shall have all that which we need. That corn, wine, and dew must be taken figuratively. These literally will not be in the new Jerusalem that is coming when Christ returns.
What we have here is that word of comfort which God gives His church. She is safe. We do correctly sing, "Safe in the arms of Jesus." The church has that calling which we considered yesterday. She has a host of enemies, a number greater than we can count. But all is well. And as we approach the days of the Antichrist, as pictured in Revelation 13 , we need not fear. The almighty God is our protector and savior. God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of need, and trouble ( Psalm 46 ).
Read: Deuteronomy 33:26-29 .
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
****
Daniel 6:1-28
2 Peter 3:1-18
Psalm 119:129-152
Proverbs 28:21-22
Quote for Reflection:
“Those who are truly humbled in their hearts, and brought to place their confidence in God, shall experience how much care he has for his children, and how well he provides for their necessities… after he has afflicted and tried us, he does not forsake us; but after he has molded and trained us by the cross to humility and meekness, he still shows himself to be a wise and provident father in guiding and directing us through life.” John Calvin
What a comforting truth! What an evidence that all is well with God's church! We are rushing toward the day when the Antichrist, as pictured in Revelation 13 , will rule the world and persecute God's church. But take hold of that truth which we find in Deuteronomy 33:27 , which makes possible what we read of in the next verse. There, as moved by God, Moses declares, "The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them."
Our God, the only true God, is eternal. He has everlasting arms that can and will destroy our enemies completely. Yea, He will cause all of His own children to reach everlasting heavenly blessedness.
That does not mean that we are not going to suffer and die physically, and that many of us will not be killed by Satan's army. Revelation 13 shows us that this will happen to many believers. But Satan, and all his host together, cannot take one bit of strength out of God's arms. These arms will have everlasting power of infinite might that will cause to happen everything that He promises us. He is the eternal God, and He is our refuge eternally. His almighty arms are under us and will carry us away from Satan and all his hatred, and into His house of many mansions through Christ.
We will all reach all the glory that He promised us in Christ. Do not for one split second question His power or faithfulness. Remember that Jesus' cross made it all look hopeless; but it served the preparation of our way to heavenly glory in God's everlasting power and grace. He was our refuge there; and He is our refuge every moment of time with His arms underneath us to carry us to glory. In His wisdom and power He used Satan so that Christ was crucified to earn a place for us in heavenly glory. Put all your trust in Him; and be sure that His arms are carrying you to victory, and using Satan and his servants to serve us, not hurt us.
Read: Psalm 48 .
Through the Bible in One
Year
Read today:
Daniel 7:1-28
1 John 1:1-10
Psalm 119:153-176
Proverbs 28:23-24
****
Quote for Reflection:
"True faith confines its view so entirely to Christ, that it neither knows, nor desires to know, anything else." John Calvin
Go to: December 1
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